MICHIGAN, USA — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has opened up even more about the recent plots to kidnap her and storm the State Capitol.
In an interview with ABC's Nightline Monday night, Whitmer called out the White House for the "ugly rhetoric" that played a role in the alleged conspiracy against her.
Dozens of men have been charged in the alleged scheme -- which included kidnapping the governor, making her stand trial in Wisconsin, and even killing her.
Monday night, Gov. Whitmer shared what the experience has been like for her family and how she explained what was happening to her kids.
"Every time that the White House has mentioned me or tweeted about me, we see more ugly rhetoric. We have seen some of the most vile things -- my kids have seen it," Whitmer explained in the interview. "We've had people show up on the front lawn with automatic rifles on more than a handful of weekends. So, I've had an ongoing dialogue with my daughters because I want them to know what is happening. I don't want them to be blindsided and I don't want them to be unsafe. I've been very blunt with my kids."
The governor went on to say that she believes hatred is a threat to democracy and called on the nation's leaders to take it on.
►Watch the ABC Nightline special here.
During a rally in Muskegon over the weekend, President Donald Trump referenced Gov. Whitmer twice. Both times, the crowd responded by chanting “Lock her up.” At one point, Trump added to the chants, saying, “Lock ‘em all up.”
“You got to get your governor to open up your state,” Trump said to the first round of ‘lock her up’ chants. “And get your schools open. The schools have to be open.”
The president then referenced the kidnapping plot, saying, “I guess they said she was threatened, and she blamed me.”
While Trump was still speaking Saturday, Whitmer retweeted a clip of the crowd chanting “lock her up,” saying “this is exactly the rhetoric that has put me, my family, and other government officials’ lives in danger while we try to save the lives of our fellow Americans. It needs to stop.”
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